Jesus tells his disciples that he has not come to abolish the Law, nor will the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law. This seems like hyperbole, but what Jesus is talking about is what is known as the “jot.” A jot is one of those little...
When I was young we would always eat as a family around 6pm. Most of the family would be seated by the time dad joined us. Dad would be seated and scan the table. If he did not see the red salt shaker he would, throw his hands in the...
In the readings from the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, we are introduced to two characters from Luke’s Gospel, Simeon and Anna. Simeon, a righteous and pious man and Anna, a prophetess who never left the Temple. They both arrive at the same time as Jesus and his...
How about a little more quantum physics? My mom liked to tell a story about my grandma and my aunt Dorothy. My Grandma, born near the Volga River in Russia, lived in a German area of the country and had a very strong German accent. I don’t remember my grandpa ever saying...
We are back into Ordinary Time. Of course this time is not ordinary. As in life, most of life takes place between the great highs and lows of our lives. The same is true for Christianity. All of Jesus’ teaching, miracles and parables generally occur during Ordinary Time. Today in...
The Baptism of the Lord January 12, 2020 The Catechism of the Catholic Church gives four reasons for the Incarnation, why God became man in Jesus Christ. The third reason is “to be our model of holiness.” All of Jesus’ words and actions model for us what we ought to...
During the Christmas Season, social media puts out many sayings, themes and quotes intended to inspire and remind us of the “reason for the season.” One of the sayings I saw posted included a saying about to celebrate Christmas accurately and faithfully, we need to include concern and prayer for...
Here we are at Christmas and the emphasis for us in our faith is still longing and expecting the presence of Christ coming to us in a new, meaningful and tangible way. Sometimes we allow ourselves to become all wrapped up in the details and preparations for Christmas that we...
Today we hear Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus. It is important to remember, while Luke and Matthew likely had Mark’s Gospel and what is known as the “Q Source” (a collection of Jesus sayings and parables that predates all Gospels) in front of them as they wrote theirs....
Today’s Gospel story is rather embarrassing for John the Baptist and his disciples. He is seemingly unsure that Jesus is the Christ or not. We like to imagine John, full of confidence ad certitude, however John is in many ways like us. He is simply unsure sometimes. He wants to...